Hicham Hajji makes Hollywood films in Morocco
When he was 23 years old, he left for Canada and enrolled in film school. For him, it was the beginning of it all, as he was studying the ABCs of filmmaking and production. After graduating from film school, Hicham Hajji began his career working on music videos for a small production company in Montreal.
Then it was time to return to his homeland, Morocco. There, he learned from the grassroots. His first position in the industry was as second assistant director alongside Moroccan director Ahmed Boulane on his 2007 film “The Devil’s Angels.”
“I learned a lot from this movie; “It was like an accelerated film school,” Hisham Hajji said in a phone interview with Yabladi. From there, he embarked on a local career, working with several Moroccan directors as a second assistant director.
Soon after, the young director founded his own company and directed his first film. “I made a short film called ‘Casa Riders,’ and that’s when the dream began,” he recalls.
“I am a motorcyclist, and I have a group of friends who are motorcyclists; We just took a camera and started making a short film on the bike. We told ourselves that one day we would make a longer film; “We didn’t know when or where or how, but we knew we were going to make a big action movie.”
Through his company H Films, he also began working with foreign film production companies in Morocco. For years, he helped international film producers film in the Kingdom, “providing them great service, great comfort, and taking care of everything for them.”
“Because I filmed everywhere in Morocco, I know all the locations; I know how to deal with American products in Morocco. If you want to shoot in a restaurant in Beverly Hills, you can ideally do so in Marrakesh or Casablanca; “The inside is the same,” he explained.
Filming in Morocco is also less expensive for international filmmakers. “If you live in New York and want to shoot in the desert, you have two solutions: You can either go to Las Vegas or New Mexico and hire an American team, or you can go to Morocco and get exactly the same setup while hiring an American team. He pointed out that the Moroccan team costs three or four times less than its counterpart in the United States.
“There is a great advantage to filming in Morocco, and we are trying to convince American, British and French producers. Hisham explained, “Many people find this attractive, and it is also my job to have a beautiful human and professional experience in Morocco.”
Moving to Los Angeles
During one of these shootings, Hisham suddenly realized. Why don’t you make movies in Hollywood? In 2015, while directing the filming of a movie starring Nicole Kidman, James Franco and Robert Pattinson, Hisham was asked if he had ever been to Los Angeles.
“Nicole Kidman told me next time you’re in L.A., tell me so we can meet,” but I told her I’d never been to L.A. before. Everyone started laughing at me, saying, “Why haven’t you been to LA before?” You make big Hollywood movies in Morocco; “You should go there.”
Thus, Hisham returned with the crew to Los Angeles, where he met people from the industry. “I told myself, ‘I don’t know how or how much it will cost,’ he said. ‘It’s a big step, but I know I will live here and this is the only way I will make my film.’
Hisham decided to finally settle between Morocco and Hollywood. “It was very useful because it allowed me to make my film in English, to cater to international audiences,” he recalls.
“Day of Redemption” is Hicham’s first Moroccan-American film. Filmed in Morocco and starring Gary Dourdan, Serinda Swan, and Andy Garcia. It is an action film that tells the story of a US Marine who travels to Morocco to rescue his kidnapped wife.
He explained, “It is an international film that talks about Moroccan stories and Moroccan topics, even if its heroes are Americans.”
While working in Hollywood, Hicham is also doing what he does best, which is bringing foreign films to be shot in Morocco.
“What made me want to go to the United States was to serve American producers who wanted to film in Morocco. “After working with so many of them, the decision was very clear,” the director said. “At the moment, I am in Morocco filming three commercials for major brands, including Hermès. We are filming in Merzouga and Marrakesh.”
Speaking about the film industry in Morocco, Hisham said that things have changed recently. While American producers used to bring 80% of their team to film and employ 20% in Morocco, today it is the opposite. He explained: “We now have very good workers in Morocco who have experience in Hollywood films, so it does not make sense to bring a makeup artist from the United States and pay for their plane ticket when it costs three times cheaper here.”
After his film Redemption Day, Hisham II’s film “The Last Princess” will be shown for the world premiere next month at the Beverly Hills Film Festival, and will be shown internationally by next summer.
